Cougars slam door on Utah, win Wasatch Cup

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Cougars slam door on Utah, win Wasatch Cup

Alex Solomon | March 23, 2015

Photo Credit: Jay Morrison

SALT LAKE CITY – BYU proved too powerful on the day and the Cougars overwhelmed Utah, 76-31, to win the annual Wasatch Cup.

Considering both teams were coming off of victories versus Saint Mary’s, it seemed as though Utah had the tools in its box to challenge BYU for 80 minutes. That was not the case.

After early phases saw the Utes put themselves inside the Cougars’ 22-meter line, a turnover flipped the script and allowed BYU to score in a hurry.

“They are not a team where you can make errors and expect not to pay for them, and we paid dearly several times,” said Utah Director of Rugby Mark Drown of his team’s mistakes.

The trend continued for the rest of the afternoon, as the Cougars did what all great teams do – punish its opponent for turnovers. The punishment led to a 40-10 BYU lead at halftime, and the second 40 minutes was not much prettier for the Utes.

Credit is due for Utah, who put together some nice moments to bring the score to 57-31. True to a passionate rivalry game, BYU never let up and added three quick scores to close the game and retain the Wasatch Cup, 76-31.

“We are, of course, disappointed with our play today, but we also must acknowledge how well BYU played,” expressed Drown. “They are undefeated for a good reason.”

The No. 6-ranked Utes will have to lick their wounds in a hurry. PAC Rugby Conference foe Arizona State travels to Utah for a March 28 match.